The Yacht and Boat Industry Association of Turkey (YATED) is seeking a court order to prevent the Istanbul exhibition from taking place in February

Since the middle of December, the residents of Istanbul have been subject to a severe lockdown which means they can not move around the city from Friday evening to Monday mornings. The police have been strictly monitoring the lockdown and fining people the equivalent of $400 for breaking the curfew.

Despite these tough restrictions, the Eurasia Istanbul Boat Show organised by CNR Pozitif Fuarcilik, remains scheduled to run from February 20-28, with dates stretching over two weekends.  If still in place, the lockdown would therefore seriously impact the hoped for attendance. CNR has been running the Eurasia show for sixteen years, claiming it as the second largest indoor boat show in the world, which – in a normal year – attracts 500 exhibitors and 75,000 visitors.

CNR Expo Center_aerial

The CNR Istanbul boat show in February is currently slated to span seven of the ten available halls at the extensive CNR Expo Center.  In 2019, the show occupied 85,000m² of the available 160,000m² across the venue.

IBI has tried repeatedly without success to contact the show organisers to confirm their plans should the lockdowns persist. According to the show’s website, it appears they are intent on continuing with this year’s exhibition despite the high incidence of Covid infection in Turkey and the possibility of continued weekend lockdowns.

IBI was able to speak with the main sponsor of the Eurasia Istanbul Boat Show, YATED, which is pressing for the boat show to be postponed until February 2022. Unfortunately, YATED says it has not been possible to reach a consensus with CNR, therefore the association has now resorted to legal action to ensure postponement and to protect the rights of its members.

 

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